View Poll Results: Which Sways?
Cusco



12
14.29%
Nismo



21
25.00%
350EVO w/o or w/bushings



13
15.48%
Other



38
45.24%
Voters: 84. You may not vote on this poll
Sway Bars? What you running and why?
Originally posted by Gsedan35
A good setting kinda depends on you, on a otherwise stock car, I'd start out by setting the front bar at the lower setting and the rear bar at the mid setting (depending of course on what bar you have). On my sedan, I have the my Cusco front bar set on full stiffness. The Cusco rear bar is not adjustable, but it's stiff enough to be equal or close to some adjustable rear bar's max stiffness setting.
Understeer: A front-wheel skid, felt by the driver as the car turns through the corner not as sharply as intended. (Front end not going where you want it to).
Oversteer: A rear-wheel skid, felt by the driver as the car truns through the corner more sharply then intented. (Rear end coming out or coming around).
Here's a great method to find the right setttings for you and how to test and see whats best, I was originally posted by Loren04Coupe.
"Find a large empty flat level parking lot. Take an object with you to use for a centering point like a cone or a chair. Put the car into a high gear and drive circles around the object. The steering should be clocked at a constant angle and you should not be making any adjustments to turn the car around in a circle. When you are driving, only look at the object in the center of the circle. In a high gear, accelerate in a circle slowly until the tires start to howl. If they aren't making noise, you are not doing it right. If you are not keeping your eyes solidly in the center of the circle, you are not skidpadding right. This is the point where you are reaching the limit of grip. The noise is the tires communicating this back to you. Keep your foot on the accelerator and go more into the gas. At this point, is the back starting to come around or the front starting to push when you exceed the limits of grip? If the back end is coming around under throttle at the limit, soften the rear bar. If the front is starting to push; then if you lift slightly on the throttle, does the front tighten back up? If it doesn't tighten back up, then either soften the front bar or stiffen the rear. "
A good setting kinda depends on you, on a otherwise stock car, I'd start out by setting the front bar at the lower setting and the rear bar at the mid setting (depending of course on what bar you have). On my sedan, I have the my Cusco front bar set on full stiffness. The Cusco rear bar is not adjustable, but it's stiff enough to be equal or close to some adjustable rear bar's max stiffness setting.
Understeer: A front-wheel skid, felt by the driver as the car turns through the corner not as sharply as intended. (Front end not going where you want it to).
Oversteer: A rear-wheel skid, felt by the driver as the car truns through the corner more sharply then intented. (Rear end coming out or coming around).
Here's a great method to find the right setttings for you and how to test and see whats best, I was originally posted by Loren04Coupe.
"Find a large empty flat level parking lot. Take an object with you to use for a centering point like a cone or a chair. Put the car into a high gear and drive circles around the object. The steering should be clocked at a constant angle and you should not be making any adjustments to turn the car around in a circle. When you are driving, only look at the object in the center of the circle. In a high gear, accelerate in a circle slowly until the tires start to howl. If they aren't making noise, you are not doing it right. If you are not keeping your eyes solidly in the center of the circle, you are not skidpadding right. This is the point where you are reaching the limit of grip. The noise is the tires communicating this back to you. Keep your foot on the accelerator and go more into the gas. At this point, is the back starting to come around or the front starting to push when you exceed the limits of grip? If the back end is coming around under throttle at the limit, soften the rear bar. If the front is starting to push; then if you lift slightly on the throttle, does the front tighten back up? If it doesn't tighten back up, then either soften the front bar or stiffen the rear. "
Originally posted by westpak
My 0.02, don't go out of your way or spend more for an adjustable swaybar, you will get much improved steering and feel with just getting a set, most people willl not feel the differences in settings in their street driving, unless you are heavily into track you will not get to the point of fine tuning your swaybar setings.
My 0.02, don't go out of your way or spend more for an adjustable swaybar, you will get much improved steering and feel with just getting a set, most people willl not feel the differences in settings in their street driving, unless you are heavily into track you will not get to the point of fine tuning your swaybar setings.
Do sway bars add any if all help traction wise to drag racing, and if so what should be the settings?
I've heard other places on this forum that the rear suspension needs to be tight as possible, while the front needs to be loosened a bit.
I know that traction/camber bars are supposed to help with this, but do sway bars work at it differently?
I've heard other places on this forum that the rear suspension needs to be tight as possible, while the front needs to be loosened a bit.
I know that traction/camber bars are supposed to help with this, but do sway bars work at it differently?
Originally posted by GATORZ
Is anyone running Borla TD with the Hotchkis? Any problems with install on the rear?
Thanks
Is anyone running Borla TD with the Hotchkis? Any problems with install on the rear?
Thanks
I will let you know what they say
Thanks Jonathahg35
Really want these so I can get them on before spring. Looking forward to what they have to say. PM me in case this thread gets lost.
Thanks again, Dan
Really want these so I can get them on before spring. Looking forward to what they have to say. PM me in case this thread gets lost.
Thanks again, Dan
Originally posted by Jonathahg35
I emailed hotchkis to see if the sways will work with td because i want the sways.
I will let you know what they say
I emailed hotchkis to see if the sways will work with td because i want the sways.
I will let you know what they say

Sways were on before Borla TD install.
Cheers Amy
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My $.02
I bought and installed Cusco's when the only other choice was Nismo. Cusco's were a bit cheaper, and allowed front adjustability. VERY happy with my choice, as I track my Z frequently, and they greatly reduce understeer. I set the front on full soft. I can't find the link comparing different bar rates, but I believe the Cusco's are the stiffest available. If I autocrossed, I'd try a bit smaller bars. If I used stiffer springs to control roll, I'd chose a bar that allowed softer settings for fine tuning. But, with the stock springs and my use, I'll stick with what I have.
I bought and installed Cusco's when the only other choice was Nismo. Cusco's were a bit cheaper, and allowed front adjustability. VERY happy with my choice, as I track my Z frequently, and they greatly reduce understeer. I set the front on full soft. I can't find the link comparing different bar rates, but I believe the Cusco's are the stiffest available. If I autocrossed, I'd try a bit smaller bars. If I used stiffer springs to control roll, I'd chose a bar that allowed softer settings for fine tuning. But, with the stock springs and my use, I'll stick with what I have.
Originally posted by dwnshift
I sure would love someone to do a sway bar shoot out!

I think I could find a donor set of bars pretty easy.
I sure would love someone to do a sway bar shoot out!

I think I could find a donor set of bars pretty easy.
hopefully, someone with real driving ability will step to the plate.
Originally posted by dwnshift
I sure would love someone to do a sway bar shoot out!

I think I could find a donor set of bars pretty easy.
I sure would love someone to do a sway bar shoot out!

I think I could find a donor set of bars pretty easy.
OK BJ......MidOhio 4/2-3-4/04. Be there or be square!
I for one would like to try your bars. I think some of us are going to compare brake pads too.
I installed my Hotchkis bars this weekend and they easily clear the Stillen dual exhaust on my car right now. Plenty of clearance and the fit perfect. The install is very easy.
There is quite a bit of clearance so they should accomodate most if not all dual exhausts.
There is quite a bit of clearance so they should accomodate most if not all dual exhausts.
Originally posted by dwnshift
I sure would love someone to do a sway bar shoot out!

I think I could find a donor set of bars pretty easy.
I sure would love someone to do a sway bar shoot out!

I think I could find a donor set of bars pretty easy.
Did you get the oem stiffness lbs rates that you've posted in the past in house?
If you want to do the shoot out, I'll uninstall my Cuco bar's and send them to you for the shoot out.
Originally posted by VQ35DECivic
How much stiffer are the settings of the Eibach bars? Info for Eibach is so hard to find sometimes--they have so much "proprietary" information!
How much stiffer are the settings of the Eibach bars? Info for Eibach is so hard to find sometimes--they have so much "proprietary" information!
Eibach does not test the percentages to oem on their bars that I know of and the info does not exist from anyone else. So all you can do is take stock in the fact that their bars are adjustable and that you would be able to tune the car via their sway bars to shape it's behavior to your liking, as many Eibach bar owners would attest to. I am sure however that some other bars achieve higher bar stiffnesses, just have to ask yourself if you require that to make usefull improvements.
I have the 350Evo bars and JIC FLT A2 coilovers and only drive on the the track. This combo has been great, the adjustability of both sway bars is a must. A few weekends ago I was at Roebling Road and my setup was way off and made the rear end very twitchy on all the high speed sweepers. I jacked the car up, took out some stiffness in the rear sway, adjusted my rear dampners, and the car handled like a dream. I had a friend who had the cuscos and then switched to the 350evo and he said that the evos were much stiffer and obviously more desireable for adjustability.

